Power lawn mower with built-in engine starter



A ril 9, 1963 H. 5. BROWN ETAL 3,034,679

POWER LAWN MOWER WITH BUILT-IN ENGINE STARTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1a. 1959 April 9, 1963 H. s. BROWN ETAL 3,084,679

POWER LAWN MOWER WITH BUILT-IN ENGINE STARTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 18, 1959 mm Q A mm mm F m 3 Q N \N I a a un R u mum mm W a QM mm m 2 3 I w. w R- 2 an a m m N N d www 2Q fivyfl 5.3mm 1'22 12'? 51 2 22552 22 0 III 'EHHE A ril 9, 1963 H. 5. BROWN ETAL 3,034,679

POWER LAWN MOWER WITH BUILT-IN ENGINE STARTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 18, 1959 Hug/5 i 2mm? m1:

April 9, 1963 H. s. BROWN ETAL 3,084,679

POWER LAWN MOWER WITH BUILT-"IN ENGINE STARTER 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 18, 1959 m zw wR E April 1963 H. s. BROWN ETl -\L 3,084,679

POWER LAWN MOWER WITH BUILT-IN ENGINE STARTER Filed May 18, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent 3,084,679 POWER LAWN MOWER WITH BUILT-IN EN'GWE STARTER Hugh S. Brown, Wauwatosa, and lb H. Svendsen, Milwanitee, Wis, assignors to Briggs & Stratton Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis, a corporation of Delaware Filed May 18, 1959, Ser. No. 813,750 8 Claims. (Ci. 123-179) This invention relates to power lawn mowers in which the cutter blade means is driven by an internal combustion engine, and has as its purpose to provide an improved and simplified starter for the engines of such lawn mowers.

The starting of the internal combustion engines of lawn mowers until just recently has always involved manually pulling on a starter rope. The rope was either manually wound about a pulley fixed to the engine crankshaft, or, where the engine was equipped with a rewind type starter, it was attached to a pulley acted upon by a spring to retract and rewind the rope onto the pulley whenever it was released. But, in all cases, the rope had to be manually pulled to start the engine.

Recently, however, some mower manufacturers have adopted a wind-up spring motor type of starter mechanism. These starter devices are energized, that is, their springs are wound up by hand, usually by turning a crank, and they are so connected with the engine that upon release of the force stored in the wound up spring, they impart engine-starting rotation to the crankshaft. Although the adoption of such wind-up spring motor engine starters has been hailed in some quarters as an improvement of great magnitude, the need for stooping over and manually winding up the spring is still an inconvenience, and, in fact, hazardous in the case of rotary mowers, since it necessitates the operator placing himself close to the orbit of the revolving cutter blade. In contrast, the present invention retains all the advantages of the wind-up spring motor starter but, in addition, provides a safer, more facile way of energizing the spring motor, since it completely eliminates the need for stooping over and manually winding up the spring.

To this end, it is an object of the present invention to provide a power lawn mower equipped with a wind-up spring motor type engine starter which may be wound up or energized by simply rolling the mower along the ground for a short distance, and wherein the force stored in the spring may be released to start the engine by simply moving a small release lever conveniently located on the handle of the mower.

Another object of this invention is to provide a power lawn mower with an engine starting mechanism which is substantially entirely containedwithin one of the wheels of the mower.

Another object of this invention is mechanism for power lawn mowers which is so flexible in design and adaptation that it may be applied to the lawn mowers of practically any lawn mower manufacturer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a power lawn mower having an engine starter mechanism built into it, and of such simple and rugged design and construction to provide a starter as to be fully capable of withstanding the rough handling to which equipment of this nature is subjected in use.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an engine starter for power lawn mowers which requires no strength or skill to operate.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment 3-,@84,b79 Patented Apr. 9, 1963 of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come Within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate several complete examples of the physical embodiments of the invention constructed according to the best modes so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a lawn mower of the rotary type embodying this invention, and wherein the right rear wheel of the mower houses the starter mechanism;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the right rear wheel or" the mower on an enlarged scale and taken generally on the plane of the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1, illustrating the starter mechanism in its clutch-engaged condition, in which condition rotation of the wheel as a result of forward movement of the mower, winds up the spring of the starter mechanism; FIGURE 3 is a View similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the starter mechanism in its clutch-disengaged condition, in which condition the force of the spring has been released;

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective View of the starter mechanism showing the parts thereof substantially in their order of assembly;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG- URE 2, but illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 but showing the starter mechanism in its clutch disengaged condinon;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded perspective view of this modified form of starter mechanism; and

FiGURE 8 is a perspective View illustrating still another embodiment of this invention.

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings and, more especially, to FIGURES 1 through 4 which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates generally the chassis of a rotarytype lawn mower which, as is customary, comprises an inverted pan-like body 6 having a deck 7 and a depending skirt 8. Three wheels 9 and one wheel 9:: support the chassis for free movement over the ground, and a handle 19, connected with the chassis, provides means for manually pushing the mower along, or guiding it, if it is of the self-propelled variety.

The mower is equipped with the customary cutter blade 11 located below the deck and inside the skirt, to be revolved at high speed by an internal combustion engine 12 mounted above the deck. The cutter blade lil is ordinarily secured directly to the lower depending end of the engine crankshaft; and at its top the engine mounts a rewind rope starter mechanism indicated generally by the numeral 13. This rewind rope starter may be like that of the Perry Mack Patent No. 2,564,787, issued August 21, 1951. It includes a pulley 114, to which one end of a rope 15 is attached and about which the adjacent end portion of the rope is wound. A rewind spring (not shown) acts upon the pulley to cause the same to rewind the rope thereon after each pull on the rope. Suitable unidirectional clutch means (not shown) connect-s the pulley 14 with the adjacent upper end of the crankshaft whenever the rope is pulled.

Heretofore, the rope had to be pulled manually, i.e. the operator merely grasped a handle on the end of the rope and pulled on it to start the engine. The present invention obviates the need for manually pulling on the starter rope and, instead, supplies a wind-up spring motor 20 for this purpose. This spring motor is operatively connected with the engine through the rope 15 and the rewind starter 13 to apply engine starting rotation to the crankshaft of the engine upon release of the force stored in the spring motor, providing, of course, that the motor has been wound up or energized. The manner in which the motor spring is wound up constitutes a major feature of this invention. Another feature is the particular construction of the spring motor and its location on the mower.

The spring motor 20 is built into one wheel of the mower, preferably its right rear wheel 9a. This wheel is mounted on a short, fixed axle or spindle 21 secured to and projecting laterally from the adjacent portion of the skirt 8, as at 22. The wheel is cup-shaped and has a sidewall 23 with a hub 24 at its center, and a rim 25 at its periphery carrying a tire 26. The wheel is not journalled directly upon its axle, but upon the hub 27 of a combined spring housing and fixed gear unit 22%. The hub 27 is keyed to the axle and clamped against a shoulder 29 thereon.

A plate 36 is detachably secured to the rim 25 of the wheel to close its open side and thereby form an enclosure for the starter mechanism. A hub 31 on this plate, coaxial with the hub 24 of the wheel, coacts with the wheel hub to freely rotatably mount the wheel. A cam sleeve 32, slidable and rotatable on the axle, and the hub 33 of a rope pulley 34, which is journalled on the cam sleeve, are interposed between the axle and the bore of the hub 31. Hence, the hub 31, like the wheel hub, is indirectly journalled upon the axle. The wheel is thus freely rotatable not only about its axle, but also about the combined spring housing and stationary gear unit Inside the combined spring housing and stationary gear unit 28, which is also cup-shaped and preferably a die casting, is the spring 35 of the wind-up spring motor. This spring, as is customary, is a spiral coil, like an ordinary clock spring. Its outer end is anchored by being secured to the unit 28 by means of a post 36 onto which the looped end of the spring is attached. The other, inner end of the spring is hooked onto a claw 37 of a spring winder 88.

The spring winder 38 is essentially an annulus or bushing having a non-circular hole 39 in which an axially shiftable clutch collar 40 of corresponding non-circular shape is slidably received. The clutch collar 4d has a round hole 41 which fits freely onto the end of the sleeve 32 and a threaded counterhore 4?. into which the adjacent end of the pulley hub 33 is screwed. The rope pulley and the clutch collar 4% are thus connected together to form, in efiect, one unit, and except for assembly requirements, could be one integral part.

By virtue of the non-circular shape of the clutch collar and the hole in the spring driver in which it is received, torque applied to the spring driver 3% by the spring as it unwinds, is also applied to the rope pulley and, as a result, the rope pulley is spun rapidly upon release of the wound-up spring. It is, of course, to be understood that the claw 37 is so disposed on the spring driver that its connection with the spring enables the transmission of torque to the spring driver from the spring as it unwinds, and from the driver to the spring as the spring is wound up.

A pair of axially aligned radial pins 43 fixed in the clutch collar have their inner ends projecting into an annular groove 44 in the cam sleeve 32, so that the clutch collar and the rope pulley, while free to turn on the cam sleeve, are held against axial shifting with respect thereto. This enables the cam sleeve to shift the clutch collar axially to effect engagement and disengagement of the clutch, without interfering with rotation of the connected clutch collar and rope pulley.

A guide in the form of an eye or fair-lead 45 fixed to the chassis, guides the rope and holds its end portion which is attached to the pulley 34-, substantially in tangential alignment therewith. Obviously, of course, any other suitable guide means such as an idler pulley may be used, as long as it guides the rope without chafing. The direction in which the rope is reeved about the pulley 34 is such that, as the pulley is spun by the unwinding spring, the rope will be rapidly wound about the pulley. This applies the desired engine starting pull on the rope.

By the same token, as the spring is wound up, the rope pulley 34 turning with the spring driver 38, rotates in the opposite direction, and thus allows the rewind pulley .14 on the engine to keep the rope taut and unwind the same from the pulley 34.

Rotation of the wheel 9a in the forward direction as the mower is pushed forwardly along the ground, turns the spring winder 38 in the direction to wind up the spring, provided that the clutch of the starter mechanism is engaged. The complementary components of the clutch are the collar 40 and a driver disc 50. These parts have inter engageable clutch teeth or jaws 40 and Sil the engagement of which is controlled by the cam sleeve 32. To this end, the earn sleeve has a helically disposed cam track 51 extending around part of its circumference and in which a pin 52 fixed .to the axle 21 is received. Preferably, the ends of the cam track 51 are parallel with one another and normal to the axis of the sleeve for a distance sufficient to receive the pin 52 therein. This assures against accidental shifting of the cam sleeve from either of its two extreme positions.

To enable intentional shifting of the cam sleeve, a lever 53 is secured to its outer end, and this lever is in turn connected to a control lever 54 by means of a Bowden wire 54'. The control lever 54 may be mounted wherever convenient, and normally is located on the handle 10.

With the clutch engaged, as shown in FIGURE 2, the inner end of the spring is connected to the driver disc 50. Hence, rotation imparted to the driver disc 50, is also transmitted to the spring driver 38. To enable the driver disc to rotate and also to keep it properly centered, it is seated in a counterbore 23' in the combined spring housing and fixed gear unit. Rotation is imparted to the driver disc from the wheel by planetary gearing. This gearing comprises a stationary internal ring gear 55, which forms part of the unit 28, a sun gear 56, which forms part of the plate 30, and hence may be considered part of the wheel, and a pair of planet gears 57 journalled on stub shafts '58 fixed to the driver disc and meshing with the stationary ring gear and the rotatable sun gear.

Through this planetary gearing rotation of the wheel 9a in the forward direction rotates the spring driver 38 in the direction to wind up the spring, and it is significant that because of the mechanical advantage gained through the gearing, the winding of the pring requires practically no effort. It is accomplished without stooping or any other inconvenience by pushing the mower forwardly for a distanoe of 15 or 20 feet. If the mower is moved too far, that is, beyond the point at which the spring is wound up, the tire of the wheel 9a simply slides over the turf or ground, and by its frictional engagement with the ground the Wheel holds the spring in its wound-up condition.

During the winding up of the spring in the manner described, the rewind starter pulley on the engine winds the adjacent end portion of the rope onto itself, as already described, so that the starter mechanism is in condition to impart rapidly accelerating rotation to the crankshaft the instant the force in the wound-up spring is released. To release the force of the Wound-up spring, it is only necessary to rock the lever 5-3 by means of the control lever 54 to cause the cam sleeve to rotate and, by such rotation, impart clutch disengaging endwise movement to the clutch collar 40. The instant the clutch teeth or jaws disengage, the rope pulley 34 is spun by the unwinding spring to pull on the starter rope and start the engine.

Attention is directed to the exceptional compactness of the structure. It requires pnactioally no increase in the length of the axle 21 upon which the wheel 9a is mounted.

Another advantage of the described structure is that it does not interfere with raising or lowering of the wheel 9:: along with the other wheels of the mower to adjust the elevation of the cutter blade, in those instances Where the mower is equipped with wheels that can be raised and lowered for this purpose.

Still another advantage of the structure just described is that all the mechanism of the spring motor is not only compactly located within one of the wheels of the mower, but is eifectively sealed therein against dirt and dust.

The form of the invention illustrated in FIGURES 5-8, inclusive, is very much like the preferred embodiment of the invention, since it too has the spring motor contained within the right rear wheel 9a of the mower, but it does not have quite the compactness of the preferred embodiment and therefore entails increasing the overall width of the wheel.

In this modified embodiment of the invention, it is the inner end of the spiral spring 35 which is anchored, and the outer end which is connected to the rope pulley 59. To anchor the inner end of the spring, a hub 60* is keyed and fixed to the axle 61 upon which the wheel 9a is mounted, and the end of the spring is curled and hooked onto a shoulder 62 on this hub. The axle 61, as in the preferred embodiment of the invention, is secured to and projects out from the adjacent portion of the skirt of the chassis.

The bearings for the wheel, which is also cup-shaped, are provided by the wheel hub 63 and a hub 64 at the center of a cover plate 65 detachably secured to the rim of the Wheel. The wheel hub 63 is journalled directly on the axle but the hub 64 is journalled on the hub 66 of the rope pulley 6-7, which, in turn, is journalled on a cam sleeve 68 slidably and rotatably mounted on the axle. The wheel is thus supported for free rotation by relatively widely spaced bearings; and since the cover plate 65 closes the open side of the wheel, it cooperates with the wheel to provide a totally closed housing for the spring motor.

The unanchored outer end of the spring must be positively connected with the rope pulley so that the latter partakes of all motion of this end of the spring. To provide this connection, the outer end of the spring is looped about a pin 70 fixed to an arm 71 integral with and extending radially from the hub 66 of the rope pulley.

The outer end of the spring must also be releasably connectible with the wheel so that the spring may be wound up by rotation of the wheel as the mower is rolled over the ground. For this purpose, the pin '70 is projectible beyond the looped outer end of the spring and through the bottom Wall of a cupped shell '72. in which the spring is coiled, to overlie the periphery of an intenal ring gear 73. This ring gear is rotatably supported coaxially of the wheel on a flange 74 on the stationary hub 6i? and is confined between the bottom of the shell '72 and the adjacent side of the wheel. Three drive lugs 75 project radially from the periphery of the ring gear. Thus, if the pin 70 is in its projected position (shown in FIG. 5, which illustrates the device in its clutch-engaged condition) overlying the periphery of the ring gear, it lies in the path of the drive lugs, and will be engaged by the nearest one of these lugs as the ring gear turns. In this manner rotation of the ring gear will be imparted to the unanchored outer end of the spring and the rope pulley 67.

The ring gear 73 is at all times drivingly connected with the wheel through planetary gearing comprising a sun gear 76 formed on the hub 63 of the wheel, and a planet gear 77 journalled on a stub shaft 7 8 and meshing with the sun gear and the internal ring gear. The stub shaft '78 is fixed to the flange 74 about which the ring gear turns.

Hence, if the mechanism is in its clutch engaged condition, forward rotation of the wheels winds up the spring, and by resisting retrograde rotation when the forward propulsion of the mower is stopped, the Wheel holds the spring in its energized or wound-up condition.

The pin '70 and the drive lugs 75 thus constitute the pliances or implements cooperating elements of the clutch in this embodiment of the invention, and as in the preferred embodiment, engagement and disengagement of the clutch is controlled by the cam sleeve 68. To this end, the hub 66 is secured against endwise displacement with respect to the cam sleeve by being confined between a shoulder 79 thereon and a release lever 80 secured to the end of the cam sleeve. A helical cam track 81 in the cam sleeve and a pin 82 fixed in the stationary hub 60 and engaged in the cam track translates rotation of the cam sleeve into axial clutch-engaging or clutch-disengaging motion of the cam sleeve. Such rotation may be imparted to the cam sleeve from a remote point, as for instance from the handle of the mower by means of the release lever 83 secured to the cam sleeve and to which a Bowden wire 84 is attached. Axial motion of the cam sleeve in one direction projects the pin into the path of the lugs 73 and, in the other direction, withdraws the pin 70 from in front of the adjacent lug 75.

In the two embodiments of the invention thus far described, the complete Windup spring motor is contained within one of the wheels of the mower. Another way of adapting the concept is illustrated in FIGURE 8 wherein the windup spring motor unit, indicated generally by the numeral 90, is hingedly mounted on the chassis of the mower, as at 91, and has a friction roller 92 positioned to engage the tread of the wheel 93 when the spring motor unit is not supported in an elevated, inoperative position.

Rotation of the roller 92' by forward propulsion of the mower winds up the spring of the motor unit and, when it is wound up, the engagement of the roller 92 with the wheel 93 holds the spring in its tensioned or wound-up condition. Lifting of the entire spring motor unit thus is all that is needed to release the force stored in the Wound up spring; and as in the other embodiment of the invention the release of this spring force spins the rope pulley connected with the spring motor to wind the rope thereon. The mechanism by which rotation of the roller 92 winds up the spring has not been illustrated since it could be simply a modification of the comparable mechanism of the fully described embodiments of the invention.

Any suitable means, as for instance a link 94 connected to the housingof the spring motor unit and leading to the handle, may be provided to lift the spring motor to its inoperative position to release the spring force; and although the weight of the motor alone is normally sufiicient to maintain good tractive engagement between the roller 92 and the tread of the wheel tire, a spring (not shown) may be added for this purpose, if desired.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this art that this invention achieves the utmost convenience and simplicity in the starting of lawn mower engines. It will also be understood that although the invention has been described as an improvement in lawn mowers, which is undoubtedly its primary concern, there are other engine powered apwhich would be 'benefitted by this invention. Engine powered snow blowers, lawn sweepers, and soil tillers are illustrations of these other possible fields of use for the invention.

What is claimed as our invention is:

1. Means for starting an internal combustion engine which is mounted upon a wheeled chassis, the engine being equipped with a rewind-type rope starter mechanism wherein a pull on the starting rope effects starting of the engine, said means comprising: a ground engaging wheel on the chassis; a rope pulley; means rotatably mounting the rope pulley on the chassis adjacent to said ground engaging wheel, the end of the starting rope being attached to the rope pulley so that rotation of the pulley in one direction winds the rope thereon and applies an engine-starting pull on the rope, while rotation of the pulley in the opposite direction allows the rope to be unwound from the pulley and retrieved by the starter mechanism; a spiral spring coaxial with the rope pulley; spring anchoring means fixed with respect to the chassis and having one end of the spring attached thereto; a torque transmitting connection between the other end of the spring and the rope pulley through which rotation is imparted to the pulley in the direction to allow the rope to be retrieved by the starter mechanism as the spring is being wound up and in the opposite direction when the wound-up spring is released; and manually controlled means to releasably drivingly connect said other end of the spring with said ground engaging wheel so that the spring may be wound up by pushing the chassis along the ground and released at will to rapidly rotate the rope pulley and thereby impart an engine starting pull on the rope.

2. Means for starting an internal combustion engine which is mounted on the deck of a wheeled chassis of a power lawn mower adapted to be operated by a person walking behind the mower, the engine having a crankshaft and a uni-directional starting clutch which has cooperable driving and driven elements and is located at an end of the crankshaft above the deck of the lawnmower,

said means comprising: a ground-engaging wheel on the chassis to turn as the mower is manually propelled across the ground; a spiral spring having an anchored end and a live end; first motion-transmitting means, including a manually controllable clutch device, to operatively connect the live end of the spring with the ground-engaging wheel, and through which means rotation of said wheel winds up the spring when the clutch device is engaged; second motion-transmitting means operatively connecting the live end of the spring with the starting clutch, and

by which release of energy stored in the spring can impart engine starting torque to the crankshaft through the starting clutch; one of said two motion-transmitting means including a first pulley mounted on the engine in juxtaposition to the starting clutch and rotatable about the axis of thecrankshaft, a second pulley rotatable about the axis of the ground-engaging wheel, meansat all times attaching the live end of the spring to one of the pulleys, and a rope having one end attached to one of the pulleys to 'be wound about said pulley in consequence of rotation thereof, and having its opposite end similarly attached to the other pulley so that rotation of either pulley in the direction to wind the rope thereon transmits rotation to the other pulley; and manually operable means to selectively effect engagement and/or disengagement of the manually controllable clutch device.

3. Means for starting an internal combustion engine which is mounted on the deck of a wheeled chassis of a power lawn mower adapted to be operated by a person walking behind the mower, the engine having a vertically disposed crankshaft and a unidirectional starting clutch at the upper end of the crankshaft, said means comprising: a ground-engaging wheel on the chassis rotatable on a horizontal axis below the level of the chassis deck as the mower is manually propelled across the ground; a spiral spring having an anchored end and a live end; first motion transmitting means, including a manually controllable clutch device, to operatively connect the live end of the spring with the ground engaging wheel, and through which means notation of said wheel winds up the spring when the clutch device is engaged; second motionetransmitting means operatively connecting the live end of the spring with the starting clutch, and by which release of energy stored in the spring can impart engine starting torque to the crankshaft through the starting clutch; one of said two motion-transmitting means including a first pulley mounted on the engine above the starting clutch and rotatable about the vertical axis of the crankshaft, a second pulley rotatable about the horizontal axis of the groundengaging wheel, means at all times attaching the live end of the spring to one of the pulleys, and a rope having one end attached to one of the pulleys to be wound about the pulley upon rotation of the same in one direction and having its opposite end similarly attached to the other pulley so that rotation of either pulley in the direction to wind the rope thereon transmits rotation to the other pulley; and manually operable means to selectively elfect engagement and/or disengagement of the manually controllable clutch device.

4. The structural combination of claim 2, wherein the pulley which is adjacent to the designated end of the crankshaft is dr-ivingly connected to the driving element of the starter clutch.

5. The structural combination of claim 3, wherein the pulley which is above the starter clutch is drivingly connected to the driving element of the starter clutch.

6. Means for starting an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft and which is mounted on the deck of :a wheeled chassis of a power lawn mower adapted to be operated by a person walking behind the mower, said engine also having a unidirectional starting'clutch which has cooperable driving and driven elements and through which starting torque may be imparted to its crankshaft, said means comprising: a ground-engaging wheel on the chassis to turn as the mower is manually propelled across the ground; a spring; first motion transmitting means, including a manually controllable clutch device, to operatively connect the spring with the ground engaging wheel, and through which means rotation of said wheel tensions the spring when the clutch device is engaged; second motion transmitting means operatively connecting the spring with the starting clutch and by which release of the energy stored in the spring can impart engine starting torque to the crankshaft through the stanting clutch; one of said motion transmitting means including a finst rotatable element mounted on the engine in juxtaposition to the starting clutch, a second rotatable element rotatable about the axis of the ground-engaging wheel, means connecting the spring with one of the rotatable elements, and an elongated flexible driving element passing through the plane of the mower deck and having a portion thereof above the deck, one end of said flexible element terminating at and being connected with one of said rotatable elements and its opposite end terminating at and being connected with the other rotatable element so that rotation of each of said elements in one direction transmits rotation in one direction to the other rotatable element, regardless of the relative positions of said rotatable elements; and manually operable means to selectively elfect engagement and/ or disengagement of the manually controllable clutch device.

7. Means for starting an internal combustion engine which is mounted upon the wheeled chassis of a handcontrolled walking-attendant type engine powered implement, comprising: :a ground-engaging wheel on the chassis of the implement to turn as the implement is manually propelled along the ground; a wind-up spring motor inside said ground-engaging wheel; means operatively connecting said spring motor with the engine and through which release of energy stored in the spring motor acts to start the engine, said spring motor being normally unwound; manually controllable means to operatively connect the spring of the motor with said ground-engaging wheel and through which rotation of said wheel as the implement is manually pnopelled along the ground acts to wind up the spring of the spring motor; and manually controllable means to effect release of the energy stored in the spring motor.

8. Means for starting an internal combustion engine which is mounted upon the deck of a wheeled chassis of a hand-controlled walking-attendant type engine powered implement, the engine having a crankshaft, comprising: a ground-engaging wheel on the chassis of the implement to turn as the implement is manually propelled along the ground providing said Wheel is in tractive engagement with the ground; a spring motor; an anchor for the spring fixed With respect to the chassis and having one end of the spring attached thereto; means to operatively connect the other end of the spring with the ground-engaging Wheel so that the spring may be tensioned by manually propelling the chassis along the ground; and means to operatively connect said other end of the spring with the crankshaft of the engine and through which release of the energy stored in the tensioned spring acts to impart engine-starting torque to the crankshaft of the engine, said last named means including a flexible tension member in passing through the general plane of the deck of the chassis and having a part thereof disposed above the deck, the flexible nature of said tension member affording a wide choice in the location of the engine on the chassis deck.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,307,941 Townsend June 24, 1919 2,182,529 Wyrick Dec. 5, 1939 2,623,603 Cutlan et al Dec. 30, 1952 2,767,808 Nicolls Oct. 23, 1956 2,912,966 Mitchell Nov. 17, 1959 

1. MEANS FOR STARTING AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE WHICH IS MOUNTED UPON A WHEELED CHASSIS, THE ENGINE BEING EQUIPPED WITH A REWIND-TYPE ROPE STARTER MECHANISM WHEREIN A PULL ON THE STARTING ROPE EFFECTS STARTING OF THE ENGINE, SAID MEANS COMPRISING: A GROUND ENGAGING WHEEL ON THE CHASSIS; A ROPE PULLEY; MEANS ROTATABLY MOUNTING THE ROPE PULLEY ON THE CHASSIS ADJACENT TO SAID GROUND ENGAGING WHEEL, THE END OF THE STARTING ROPE BEING ATTACHED TO THE ROPE PULLEY SO THAT ROTATION OF THE PULLEY IN ONE DIRECTION WINDS THE ROPE THEREON AND APPLIES AN ENGINE-STARTING PULL ON THE ROPE, WHILE ROTATION OF THE PULLEY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ALLOWS THE ROPE TO BE UNWOUND FROM THE PULLEY AND RETRIEVED BY THE STARTER MECHANISM; A SPIRAL SPRING COAXIAL WITH THE ROPE PULLEY; SPRING ANCHORING MEANS FIXED WITH RESPECT TO THE CHASSIS AND HAVING ONE END OF THE SPRING ATTACHED THERETO; A TORQUE TRANSMITTING CONNECTION BETWEEN THE OTHER END OF THE SPRING AND THE ROPE PULLEY THROUGH WHICH ROTATION IS IMPARTED TO THE PULLEY IN THE DIRECTION TO ALLOW THE ROPE TO BE RETRIEVED BY THE STARTER MECHANISM AS THE SPRING IS BEING WOUND UP AND IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WHEN THE WOUND-UP SPRING IS RELEASED; AND MANUALLY CONTROLLED MEANS TO RELEASABLY DRIVINGLY CONNECT SAID OTHER END OF THE SPRING WITH SAID GROUND ENGAGING WHEEL SO THAT THE SPRING MAY BE WOUND UP BY PUSHING THE CHASSIS ALONG THE GROUND AND RELEASED AT WILL TO RAPIDLY ROTATE THE ROPE PULLEY AND THEREBY IMPART AN ENGINE STARTING PULL ON THE ROPE. 